In late September, my cousin Tandon Baker proposed to Katie Mullendore in the middle of my cotton field right at sunset. It was truly magical.

Tandon of Tallulah, La., is in his last semester at Mississippi State University and will be receiving a degree in agronomy.

Katie of Madison, Miss., is a graduate of MSU and is currently enrolled in nursing school. She is the granddaughter of the late George Mullendore, an internationally known cotton specialist.

So what better place for Tandon to ask George Mullendore’s granddaughter to marry him than in a field of beautiful white cotton?

What Katie thought to be just a family photo shoot turned out to be a magical memory that she will never forget. The couple was able to experience the moment with their parents and other family members.

Oh, by the way, she said, “YES!”

The field is located on Vining Farms in East Carroll Parish at Sondheimer, La.

Editor’s note: Byron Vining farms 5,600 acres of corn, rice, soybeans and cotton in East Carrol Parish at Sondheimer, La. Vining Farms is a four-generation operation. Vining’s son Charlie will be the fifth generation.